Roses of Blood
by FlowersHaveWings
Summary: The rain poured down as she looked at him and whiped blood from her mouth as she thought: This isn't only for dad, or Suko, my family, or my friends, this is for her....this is for you....Mom...
1. Chapter 1

-1Chapter One:

_Show me sister, prove to me that you are worth the air that you breathe, the life that dwells within this pathetic excuse for a body. The day I return I want to see that you are more than human and are worth letting live. _

Hatake Amaya woke with a start being startled by the words that echoed in her head playing themselves over and over again. She just stared at the white ceiling above her trying to think.

_It's been years since he was around, _Amaya thought to herself while pushing her hair out of her face. _I don't understand, why now? Of all the times for my subconscious to drag this into the forefront of my memories. _

She barely moved but this one small movement was met with a hit to her leg from the flitting tail of the tiger that lay curled up at the end of her bed.

"Sorry Akira," Amaya said then moved again intending to go back to sleep for a little while longer.

"We're going to be late Mitsuko," Amaya said leaning against the door jam watching her friend gather herself together in front of her mirror.

"Well, not all girls can just slap something on and still look good," Mitsuko said referring to her friend as she pulled her own brown hair back.

Mitsuko was right though about Amaya. If she ever really wanted to she could have been one of the most popular girls in Konoha just from her looks. The silver hair that she had was cut at odd lengths having been a quick cut job fell into her face over her left eye where she wore the band of the Leaf Village ninja. Reaching it was a black mask that covered the lower half of her face.

She wore a very gothic looking outfit. The front of the skirt reached about her mid-thigh and the back reached her knees with white gaiters underneath the skirt portion so that she could move as she pleased. From the bottom of the lightly v-necked front was a chain that lead to the chocker around her neck. Over her left upper arm and down to over her hand she wore a black sleeve that was able to stay on her arm with the tightly pulled buckle. On her hands she wore gloves that were cut off at mid-finger.

Her friend was wearing an outfit that almost fit in with Amaya's but not quite, it didn't look as dementing. It was a black shirt that was sleeveless and was high collared. With it she wore a tight black skirt that slit up to her thighs revealing a pair of skin tight shorts that reached her mid-thigh underneath them.

"Let's go already," Amaya said again, now she was really wanting to go.

The room had gotten too quiet for her. Whenever there was silence like that when Amaya was near her memories began to swelter in her head.

"Okay, let's go," Mitsuko said hearing the light edge to her friend's usually calm voice.

They walked down the street headed toward their own destination. Mitsuko paused for a moment feeling like she had forgotten something.

"I think I forgot something," Mitsuko stated to her friend.

"Could it quite possibly be your band?" Amaya questioned calmly but her friend started to freak. "Just go get it, and hurry will you?"

"Be back in a minute!" Mitsuko said running back down the street.

Amaya waited. She lent against a wall waiting for the rapidly drawing nearer return of her friend. Many people skirted past her noticing her leaning against that wall. She didn't wonder why she just ignored it allowing herself to drift off into thought.

_She was just as pathetic as you are turning out to be! Isn't that delightful!_

She was brought out of this thought as Akira bounded up out of no where and soon afterward Mitsuko came running up also.

"What's your problem?"

This was the question she received from the tiger that now sat flitting her tail in a very calm and cool manner. Her eyes the bright yellow they were, were just looking at Amaya in a questioning manner. Amaya shook her head to indicate it was nothing.

"So what did your tiger ask?" Mitsuko questioned not really caring how silly she sounded and fixing her own band around her waist.

"She thought I had a problem," Amaya said shrugging her shoulders. "She's always asking me that though."

"You know sometimes I wonder what normal friends would be like?" Mitsuko said out of the blue looking up. "I mean friends who couldn't talk to animals, or have some really out of the blue justu,"

"Well, you had your chance didn't you?" Amaya questioned reminding her friend of something seemingly. "You could have just said thanks and gone on your merry little way,"

"I know," Mitsuko said with a sigh. "I don't regret it though. I mean being friends with a Hatake clan member? Who could ask for more, well other than being friends with Uchiha,"

Amaya nodded knowing who the girl referred to. Uchiha Yukio.

It was said that he was the Uchiha Sasuke's brother, Uchiha Itachi's son, so Sasuke's nephew, but no one was truly sure. He was the most popular boy around. He was handsome, that Amaya couldn't deny, but she didn't like his personality. It was far too close to her own for her to be comfortable around him.

"Well, anyway," Mitsuko said putting her arms behind her head in a stretching movement as they walked. "Got a hunch on who your Sensei's gonna be?"

"I don't really care," Amaya shrugged. "As long as I can improve then that's all that really matters doesn't it?"

"Well, what about your team? Don't you want to be with people you like?" Mitsuko said then just shook her head. "Never mind I already know the answer to that."

"C'mon Akira," Amaya wasn't paying attention to her friend's rambling. "I don't think they will let you in at this size,"

Amaya created a quick seal and the cat began to shrink. Mitsuko watched the large tiger shrink to the size of a kitten in wonder. No matter how many times she had seen her friend perform this jutsu it still amazed her.

"You know that justu, really is a hell of a deal," Mitsuko said as Amaya caught the small tiger in her arms as she jumped up and continued to walk.

"I know, and with Akira it really helps," Amaya said and the tiger began to purr in her arms content. "I mean I've been able to take her lots of places without bother, no one worries about a kitten do they?"

"Apparently not," Mitsuko said and they headed on down the street. "You know, I hope I'm just not stuck with two idiots that I have to compensate for."

"That would be your luck now wouldn't it?" Amaya said and her friend nodded with a laugh.

"Of course it would be!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

They all waited. The classroom was now silent. Yukio had just been called and apparently many of the girls were holding their breaths.

"Yamimoto Mitsuko, Yomiharu Nariko,"

The air instantly cleared as many of the girls let go of the anxiety they were holding onto in that moment. There weren't that many of them left to concoct into teams now.

"Hatake Amaya," she looked up when called. "Minsino Kyu, Huga Kyo,"

She looked at the two boys he had just called to be her teammates. She could tell which ones they were as the muscles in their backs tensed then relaxed. From the backs of their heads she couldn't tell anything really other than a small portion of their personalities from the way they wore their hair.

Kyu wore his hair down and over the band that he wore on his forehead. It was a midnight black that stuck up in odd angles at points. He was calm; she could tell that just by the way he sat.

Kyo sat leaning back in his seat looking bored to her. He was a bigger boy but most of it seemed to be muscle. His raven black hair seemed to fall into his face but from the back of his head she could see the spikes that allowed him to look confident in himself.

_Well, _Amaya thought to herself relaxing. _This will be interesting in the least. _

They waited for him to show up. The boy named Kyo sat again his feet propped up on a desk leaning back watching Amaya and her occasional nervous movements at the silence in the room. He didn't seem to interpret it that way though.

"Say girlie, how old are you anyway?" Kyo questioned and she turned to him when he spoke. "I mean you can't be that old,"

"I'm ten if you must know,"

"Bloody hell no way!" the big boy said in disbelievement. "There's no way you could be up here with us!"

"Such would someone expect of the Hatake clan," the boy name Kyu said looking Amaya over thoughally. "And some of us are not complete idiots like you either Kyo, some of us passed on first go 'round," Kyu had turned back to Kyo to address him. They seemed to know each other well; he then turned back to Amaya. "I heard that your dad actually held you back some too,"

"Yeah, I should already be done with this crap," Amaya said sounding rather annoyed about it.

"Your brother, he was Monmaru, wasn't he?"

"No way, you're that kid sister of his?" Kyo said again sounding startled. "Well was the kid sister of,"

"Monmaru was my older brother yes," Amaya said her voice was becoming clipped and short forcing the words out. "But I'd rather not- he's coming,"

Both boys turned when she said this to see the person who would be their Sensei come through the door.

He had silver hair and an ebony eye. His face was covered by a black mask and his left eye was covered by a crooked band. Kyo and Kyu both looked between the Jonin and his now female student trying to make a connection as to why they looked so startlingly alike.

"Well, sorry I'm late,"

The look on the fourth of her face that Kyo and Kyu could see of Amaya showed a particular expression reading on it.

"You seem to be late to a lot of things don't you?"

"Amaya don't even start." the Jonin warned her but she just shook her head.

"Wait a minute," Kyo said seeming to have been hit with some revelation. "Are you Hatake Kakashi?"

"Kakashi-Sensei now,"

"Damn," Kyo let out a low whistle looking at the two Hatake's again. "Damn,"

"You repeated yourself idiot," Kyu said with a complete nonchalance at the situation before them.

"Damn," Kyo repeated again without listening to his partner. "We're in for it now,"

She was home early. Mitsuko wasn't even home yet, way too early. She chunked her things into a corner then went to her room collapsing on her bed with a cry of frustration.

She lay there a minute her face buried into her pillow with frustration flowing through her veins as though it were adrenaline.

She didn't mind the fact that her dad was her Genin Sensei; in fact it made her feel a little better knowing that someone who already knew her limits was teaching her. She didn't have to teach him her pressure points, or her don't go there phases, or even those don't you dare push these buttons, he already knew them, she didn't have to worry that much about it.

The thing that frustrated her though was the way that Kyo and Kyu had talked about her brother. They spoke as though he were the greatest of them all, the best person in the world when in fact all he was was a cold blooded murderer who got away.

The story that everyone knew, even Kakashi, was that Monmaru had been protecting Amaya from their mother who had gone stark crazy. He made it seem as though he had died in the attempt being able to take out their mother and protect Amaya at the same time.

No one knew the truth, they wouldn't, she couldn't bring herself to talk. She couldn't even tell Kakashi about the truth. That it was not her brother but a very well crafted substitution that Kakashi cremated along with Sora their mother.

She hadn't known what to do then and even now she could bring the harmful truth down on her father's already burdened shoulders.

Her brother had been the best there was after Kakashi, some even considered him to be better after a while. Kakashi taught him everything he knew. He had poured his heart and soul into teaching Monmaru, Amaya thought he had been through enough.

Thinking that Monmaru was dead shut him out of Kakashi's life. She didn't want him to know, she wasn't willing to let him know his son had turned into a stark crazy murderer.

She would never forget the look that Monmaru carried in his dark ebony eyes that reflected Kakashi's or the swirling of the crimson red Sharingans that bore into her very soul. It was hatred, complete and total hatred. It still haunted her most vivid dreams that revolved around him.

She turned her head out of the whiteness of the pillow that she had buried herself in to look at the wall. She felt a slight stinging coming from her eye, and she tried to force them back before just giving up and letting out a heart-breaking sob.

She didn't want to cry, but they wouldn't stop now as they rolled down her face and onto the pillow beneath her. She had told herself after her ferocious heart-wrenching crying that had shuttered throughout her small body after her brother left that she would no longer cry for anything, no matter what she wouldn't cry.

She cried now out of earnest fear and pent up sadness that she wanted to let go of. She didn't want to be by herself as she had been for years. She wanted someone to be there when she cried, someone who understood what it felt like to be alone.

Mitsuko came into the apartment finding the door unlocked. She could have sworn that she had locked it before they left that day. She just shrugged it off walking on into the apartment making her way to her own room pulling her hair down when she noticed Amaya's door cracked open.

Now that was really strange. Even though Amaya be two years younger than Mitsuko she was always, always in late. She said she didn't like to come home to an empty apartment, that it was hell on her nerves for some reason.

Mitsuko didn't understand that, she loved it when the apartment was vacant except for her because she could do as she pleased and not have to worry about Amaya. Sticking her head in the cracked door she wondered if her friend was indeed home, or if it was just another rouge animal that had found its way inside.

It was Amaya alright. The face that she saw could not have belonged to anyone else but perhaps another Hatake Clan member, and even of that she couldn't be sure.

Amaya had taken off her mask and the band from her eye and set them both on her bedside table to keep them out of the way. Amaya herself didn't look as though she had planned on sleeping in the first place. She was tangled up in the sheets that covered her bed and she was still wearing her clothes from the day, that's what really gave it away.

Her face, that was reflected in the moonlight that shone through the window and onto her, was utterly perfect. No one would believe the unnaturally perfect poise that everything was in on her face, Mitsuko herself hadn't believed at first either. The only thing that disturbed it was a large scar that ran across her right cheek.

Even though this was the second time she had seen her friend's face it still chilled her to the bone at the perfection it brought to the table. She had heard that Hatake Sora was almost the same way and Hatake Kakashi and Hatake Monmaru wore the mask to cover their faces because of this reason.

Monmaru must have been just as handsome as she is pretty, Mitsuko mused to herself closing the door behind her. If she would just act like a girl then maybe she would have a little better personality. Mitsuko sighed and shook her head. What am I saying? She doesn't want to be like that! She doesn't seem to want to be period, but then again I could be reading into it way too much when it's none of my business in the first place. Now what should I make for dinner?

Mitsuko walked off into the kitchen without anymore worry about her friend's life for the moment but more preoccupied with the fact that she was hungry.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

**Hey,**

**I made some ramen if you want some. It's like, well, I actually dunno what it was that I put in it but it tastes good and isn't deadly so if you want some then dig in my friend! Well, it's about midnight and I'm about to crash for the night gotta get up early and all that crap in the morning. Boy, I'm not sure about having the Uchiha in my cell is a good thing or not, you know? He's a lot like you you know, calm, cool, reserved. Looking at him you can never tell what he's thinking, or at least us normal people can't, bet my butt you could though, you're good at that type thing seeing as you're just like that too. That other kid Nariko he's just kind of weird, but I guess he's a good person. I think I'm goin' softy here! Oh, well, I'm crashing, and I might not see you in the morning so, good luck with whatever you're doing!**

**Mitsuko**

Amaya read over this as she tested the food her friend had concocted the night before for her to eat. The sun was just beginning to rise and Amaya was debating whether she was hungry or not, or if she wanted to go against Sensei's orders and eat anyway.

He was probably right, she would get sick if she ate anything before going out training all day, plus she wasn't that hungry anyway. Sighing she made her decision.

**I'll eat when I get home okay? It looked good but I'm really not in the mood to eat anyway. See you when I get home if you're still up.**

**Amaya **

After jotting this down on the bottom of the paper her friend had written the message on she left it on the counter and headed out to meet the others.

It was a really nice day now that the sun had come up. It was warming on her face as she waited for the others to show up. Here came someone, and someone else. She opened her eye to see Kyu and Kyo walking down the path quietly neither engaging in conversations or even insults to the other.

"Hey, girlie," Kyo called spotting her leaning against that tree arms crossed. "You're early,"

"I know that," Amaya said simply closing her eye again intending to get a little more rest in before Kakashi showed up. "But how do you know that you're not late?"

"Fair question," Kyu complemented her also sitting down and leaning against the tree beside her. "Shouldn't Kakashi-Sensei be getting here soon though?"

"He's always late," Amaya answered the question quite simply. "He'll show up eventually,"

"So what do we do till then huh?" Kyo questioned plopping down on the grass and then lying back allowing the sun to warm his body. "Just wait here?"

"Pretty much," Amaya said with a simple head nod.

Kyu next to her relaxed leaning his head back against the trunk of the tree letting his black hair fall into his face as a shield against the sun's rays.

"So we've gotta get the bell right?" Kyo questioned confused.

"Yep, get the bell and you pass, don't and you fail,"

Amaya instantly noticed he only had two bells, not three. This either was to push them to get the bell before the other two or...

She waited poised and ready to act on another's movements. His nose, Kakashi's that was, was buried in the orange soft back novel that he was reading.

She knew that even though he was reading the book that his own guard never dropped, not for a second. The other boys seemed to have realized this also as they were still stock still waiting for the right moment.

There he went, Kyu. If he could distract Kakashi then they would have a chance at getting the bells from Kakashi, or rather she would.

"Kyo," Amaya hissed to the boy underneath her. "Get ready,"

"You got it babe," Kyo stood but quickly covered himself again hiding from Kakashi's view.

They waited a moment or two more before Kyu had officially dragged Kakashi's attention from his book to him. Amaya shuffled her feet still waiting for the right moment. There it was, and down she dropped right into Kyo.

Kyo caught her feet and threw her with an enormous chunk right at Kakashi's turned to them back.

Thud.

Kakashi and Amaya both landed on the ground. She rolled away from him then held up two objects that glimmered with a silver tone.

"Got 'um!" Amaya said then tossed them over to Kyu who took them stowing them in his pockets and ran.

"That a girl!" Kyo thundered sounding over-joyed before he too took of at dead bolt run like the others.

_It is just a little before noon now, _Amaya observed as she deftly jumped through the trees trying to keep her one eye out for Kakashi and for Kyu. _This hopefully will be done soon enough,_

Kyo was below her, running along the ground keeping that area clean. Kyu was just ahead of her, now if they could make it before noon they'd be home free. This leg of the test apparently had been added once Kakashi realized they would be able to get the bells without a problem.

"Hurry up Kyu!" Amaya called ahead to him. "We're running short on time!"

Kyu only nodded and picked up his pace. Limbs flashed as the moments began to become the pressure that drove them onwards. They were so close, and there he was. Kyu stopped unsure of what to do now. Amaya landed on the branch next to him.

"You go on ahead," Amaya said and he nodded. "Kyo and I can take care of this, and anyway I think it might be just a substitution or a clone, nothing to worry about. Go, before he really does catch up!"

Kyu nodded again and disappeared. Kyo stopped running and looked up at Amaya wondering what they were going to do now. A Kunai knife sliced through the air and into the substitution jutsu and with a subtle poof it turned into a log.

"Get that for me will you?" Amaya questioned Kyo who nodded as they took off again.

"We're being pressed for time Amaya," Kyo called to her who nodded and picked up her pace again. "Ten minutes,"

"Ten minutes huh?" Amaya questioned calmly. "Plenty of time idiot, just come on,"

"Right,"

They were close enough again that she could see Kyu. She picked up her pace pushing herself to catch up with him.

Three minutes left...

There they were. Kyu jumped down out of the trees and took off at a dead bolt run towards their destination.

One minute left...

There was Kakashi. Amaya spotted him before he actually came out of the tree line to attack Kyu.

Forty seconds left...

Amaya lunged at Kakashi and at the same time so had Kyo which guaranteed to knock even the most balanced Jonin off his feet.

Ten seconds...

They all looked up to see where Kyu was. Six or seven steps from it. He was going to make it or so they hoped.

One second...

They could hear the bells ring out the chime for noon and everyone turned to Kyu who stood there at the destination, the memorial stone, a smug look on his face.

"Yahoo!" Kyo yelled and then did a flip, that was kind of strange for his size, in his happiness. "We passed! We passed! Wait a minute we did pass right?"

All three gunin looked at Kakashi who Amaya had helped to his feet. They waited wondering the verdict.

"Yes you passed,"

"Yes, yes yes!" Kyo was pretty happy; he picked Amaya up off her feet and swung her around in a circle. "And it's all thanks to our great leader here Hatake Amaya!"

"Kyo please put me down!" Amaya said sounding suddenly quite alarmed.

"No way chick, you're the one who passed us so enjoy the praise!" Kyo said with a laugh setting her on his shoulder. "Quit being so up-tight huh? Loosen up those knots!"

"He's right Amaya," Kyu handed Kakashi the bells back walking over to where the others were. "Teamwork works better when we know what we're doing,"

"I got it!" Kyo said suddenly as Amaya was still attempting to get down from his shoulder from which he had perched her on. "I'll take us out for Ramen! Totally my treat, but we've gotta celebrate somehow and I'm starting to get hungry, so what's for lunch?"

"Starting?" Kakashi questioned the gunin who turned to him.

"Yep, guess I didn't eat enough last night at dinner," Kyo shrugged jarring a still stunned Amaya. "I don't eat breakfast Sensei so quit worrying,"


End file.
